Tank gauge



Patented Feb. 8, 1927.

EMIL TYDEN, oF Evans'rou, ILLINOIS.

TANK GAUGE'.

Application led March 6,

inate the liability of inaccurate indication.

which c ommonly'resu'lts from friction in the moving partsof existing devices. It consists of ,certain features and el-ements of construction and their combination hereinafter described and shown in the drawings as indicated by the claims.

In the drawings; Figure 1 is a vertical sectional vieWof a portion of a liquid fuel tankpsuch as that employed on anl automobile ytogether With lA a gauge embodyingthis invention installed in the tank. v

Figure 42 is a top plan View of the gauge showing the dial at which the reading appears;

Figure 3 is a transverse 'detail section as indicated .at line 37' 3 on Figure 1.

Figurel 4 is a Atransverse detail section taken las indicated at line 4-4 on Figure 1, and assuming the oat at the position shown in dotted linesv in Figure 1. Y

In one commontype of gauge employed for'indicating the Vdept-h or quantity of liquid in a tank, a float is/employed and is' nonrotatively guided to rise and fall'Wit-h Vthe level Qfliquid' While being operatively engaged with a 'screw or spiralV memberof slow pitch rWhich is intended to be rotated Y by the float acting as a nut uponthe screw or spiral and turning Vany suit-able indicating -member across a dial outside the tank. In such devices it is common experience to have the float stick upon the spiraly member f so that 'neither its buoyancy nor its Weight is sufficient to ldislodge it as the level of liquid'r-ises or falls;V thus the indicatingfmember becomes inoperative and useless for its purpose. My invention will eliminate this diihculty by permitting the'float member, 1, to rise and 'fall'with perfectfreedom When desired,-that is, not requiring any Work of lthe float during-its rise or fall but nevertheless` employing the Aposition which' i-t assumes by reason of the level of liquid 'sov as to furnish an exterior lindication of that level. tively engaged Vwith a square shaft or spindle, 2, upon Which it may rise and fall freely. A radially extend-ing pin, 3, however,- is normally 'held in contact with the helically formed edge,`4, of the vertically extending stop member, 5. -This contact is The float is slidablyV but non-,rota- 1922. Serial/NO. 541,298.

maintained by a coiled spring,'6, anchored at one end in the bearing plate, 7, of the spindle, 2, vand secured-at the other end through a hole in the spindle as shown in Figurel 1. The lower end of the spindle is .rotatively journaled Vin a bearing, 8, adjacent the bottom of Ithe tank, A, `While theV vupper end is reduced and rounded at@l to extend through a suitable packing Wash-er,

y 10, `past the dial plate, 11, and through the cover glass, 12.' Its eXtreme outer end is `furnished With a knob or handle, 13, Vby Which the spindle, 2, may -berotated at will.,

, l/Vhen-ever itis desired to learnl theV levell of liquid inthe tank, A, or the quanti-ty remaining therein the knob, 13, isgraspedand rotated in lcounter-clockwise direction so as to free the pin, 3, yfrom the edge, 4, of the stop member, 5, and thus permit the float,v 1, to rise or fall vto the level of liquid in the tank'. lObviously a very slight rotation of ythe-knob, y13, Will be suflicient to move thev pin,l3, out ofcontact with theedge, 4, but if ther tank has been refilled Without reset; ting the lioat, 1, so that the latter is considerablysubmerged in the liquid, it Will be necessary to rotate the float through a' con-y siderable angle vto permit -it to rise to the level of the liquid. lTherefore for conv-en# ience the stopmembcr, 5, Ais provided with a straight vertical edge, 14, Which may serve as a stop for the counter-clockwise rotation of the spindle, 2; since 'the helical edge, 4, occupies less ,than halfa turn from the bottom to the top of the tank the turning of' the pin, 3, back as far as the stop ,edge,14, Will insure it a free path up or down-in the liquid-and entirely clear of the curved edge, 4. Thus upon giving the knob, 13, slightly more' than half a turn to t-he left the'lioat, 1, Willv immediately seek the level of the liquid and upon release of the knob, 13, the

spring, 6, will turn the spindle, 2, back only so far as the helical stop, 4, will permit the pin, 3, tofsrving.` The angular. `position of the pin, 3, corresponding'tothat V particular level of liquid will then be indi# cated on the scale dial, 11, by the indicating needle, 15, carried vby the upper end of the spindle, 2. For further convenience, I have shown in Figur-e 2a dial carrying trvo scales each oc'- cupying 180 of the circle-and Ihave associated therewithV a` two-armed index needle,

` '15, with the arms diametricallyopposed.

One scale will thus indicate the 'actual quan- .V tion is desired. Grdinarily on av road vehicle it is necessary to clean the gauge glass before the gauge can be read and in the same opera-- e tion it is al simple matter to twist the knob,

13, for permitting the float to assume its proper position to provide a true readingr of the quantity in the tank. Y c vI claimz 1. In combination with a liquid supply Y tank, a depth gauge device comprising a float and lnieans by which it is guided for 'up-and-down movement in a pre-determined path a moving element of an indica-tor controlled by theposition of the float; a part carriedv by'V and having the up-and-down movement .of the float due to the change of the depth of the liquid;,two parts cooperating with sa-id float-carried part for deriving from the up-and-down movement of the float Va movement of one of said two; cooperating parts transverse to that of theV floatcarried part, the other float-carried part havingfor such cooperation mutually engaging features encountering each other, the encounterino' feature of said other cooperating part being an edge thereof which extends'up and down obliquely with respect to the tip-and-r down movement of the float; means for holding one of said two cooperating parts fixedly against'inovement transverse with respect to the up-and-down movement ofthe float,

whereby such transverse movement of saidV two'cooperating parts is necessary Vto permit or effect the up-and-down movement of the float; means yieldingly resisting the last mentioned transverse movement, and means extending outside vthe tank for causing such transverse movement of the float in opposition'to saidyielding resistance.

2. In combination withV a Yliquid supply tank gauge device comprising a float with a guide encountering part and a guide for its` up-and-down movement in the tank; a stop having an edge vpositioned for encounter of said part in the direct upward moveineiitiof. the latter' 'throughout a. limited range' of transverse rotative movement of the float with respect to Vsaid guide; whereby certain j transverserotativejmoveiiient of the'ioat is necessary to maintain its stop feature in con-V tact with said edge; yieldingrmeans tending to cause suoli transverse rotative movement,

and means extending for manual operation at will outside the tank for rotating theY float contrariwise to said yielding means; the floatbeing' -engaged. withv itsguide for rotating movement therewith, and the guide'member carrying outside the tank, the moving meniber of the indicating device.

"3l In combination withv a liquid supply tank, a gauge device comprising a vertically extended guide journaled'to rotate about a vertical axis; a float non-rotatably -engaged Vwith the guide andv slidable thereon in r-esponse to changes of liquid level in the tank; a rotatably extending stop arm oii the float and a cooperating stop member of` substantially spiral form extending adjacent the path of the float on the guide for encounter with said stop armgwhen the guide is rotated; a spring coiled upon Vthe guide with one end anclioied thereto; and the other end.

fixed with resp-ect to the taiikfor yieldingly maintaining contact ofthe stop arm with the spiral stop member.

4. In combination with -a liquid supply tank, .a gauge device comprising a vertically extended guide journaledto rotate about a vertical axis; a float non-rotatably engaged with the guide and slidable thereonin response to changes of liquid level in the tank; a stop arm on the lioat anda cooperating stop member of substantially spiral form extendingy adjacent the path of the armV onV the float for encounter with said stop arm when the guide is rotated; means outside the tank for turning the guide at will, together withY indicating means outside the tankoperable by'rotation ofthe guide, and a spring coiled upon thewguide with one end anchored vthereto and the other end fixed with respect to the tank for yieldinglyinaintaining contact of the stop arm withthe spiral. stop member. Y

5. In a gasoline gauge; a cylindrical casing `having a segment of its cylindrical wallremoved, one edge'of the remainingwall portion being in parallelism with the axisY of the casing, the opposite edge being curved and constituting a stop; a floatfrotatably-positioned within the casing and movable longitudinally thereof; means to rotate theV float, and a stop element carried by the float, to contact with said curved edge, said'curved edge extendingspirally about the axis of rotation of the float; whereby suoli rotation to bring the stop element of the iioat into contact with the curved edge of the casing will correspond with the axial position. of the float. l

6. rIn a gasoline gauge, a float; a rotatable rod connected to rotate the float but along which the float is movable; supporting means forV the rod including a Zero stop portion adjacent the float and arranged in parallelism with the axis of the float, and a curved edge stop port-ion also adjacent the float, the curvatureof the edge of said second portion being such as to provide a space between said portions of gradually increasing width towards oiieendV of thepath of axial movement of the float, and a .pin Vcarried by the iioat to Contact With either of said portions, said curved edge extending spirally'about the axis of rotation of the 'loat, whereby.

such rotation from the Zero position to bring the pin of the oat into Contact. with the curved stop, will be proportional to the axial movement of the oat from zero depth.

7. In a gasoline gauge, afloat, a rotatable rod so connected With the float that the fioat, while adapted to niove longitudinally of the rod, must rotate With it, supporting inea-ns for the rod, including a zero stop to' control the rotation of the rod and float in one direction, and aourved edge stop adjacent the float, and a .pin carried by the ioat to Contact With said last-named stop, said curved edge extending spirallyV about the axis of rotation of the float, whereby such rotation from the zero position to bring the pin of the ioat into Contact With the curved stop, will be proportional to the elevation of the float above Zeroy depth position. y

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto .set my hand this 3rd day of March, 1922.

EMIL TYDEN. 

